It was a surreal moment for Jack Mulcahy. After hearing for decades about the grandfather he never knew, an Olympian who founded the rowing program at Fordham a century ago, here he was on Fordham’s campus, getting ready to accept an award on his grandfather’s behalf.
The renowned athlete has been “pretty much a legend” in the family, Mulcahy said in an interview before appearing at Fordham’s Athletic Hall of Fame induction on Friday.
Eight alumni and one former coach stepped up for induction at the ceremony. But first, Mulcahy took to the stage for an appearance that had been a long time coming: When his grandfather, John J. Mulcahy, was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991, no family member was around to represent him.
But an ardent alumnus of the rowing program recently tracked down Mulcahy, an award-winning film actor and director who has appeared in numerous independent films including The Brothers McMullen. When asked, he was happy to play a part for his grandfather on Friday.
“I am incredibly honored,” Mulcahy said at the ceremony on Fordham’s Rose Hill campus, where he accepted a plaque commemorating his grandfather’s achievements. He noted he was born 12 years after his grandfather died, “and didn’t really come to recognize his greatness until I was about a mid-teenager,” he said. “Boy, did I lord that … over everybody in the neighborhood,” he joked.
The Founder of Fordham Rowing
John Mulcahy graduated from Fordham in 1894 and became the University’s first Olympic champion. At the Olympic Games held in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1904, he and Michael Varley won the gold medal in double sculls and the silver medal in coxless pairs.
Mulcahy returned to Fordham to found the University’s rowing program in 1915 and served as its coach. He also served as president of the Atalanta Boat Club and as a New York City alderman before his death in 1942.
When he was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991, then-head coach of men’s and women’s rowing Ted Bonanno accepted the award for him. “The fact that they’re redoing it is just terrific,” Bonanno said before the ceremony. Given the legendary rower’s prowess and legacy, Bonanno made him the namesake of an award he established for outstanding alumni of the rowing program.
Jack Mulcahy agreed to accept the induction for his grandfather after he was tracked down by James Sciales ’87, archivist with the Fordham Rowing Association.
‘Closing the Loop’
In an interview before the ceremony, Jack Mulcahy called it “kind of surreal” to be appearing on his grandfather’s behalf. In the family, he is remembered for being “quite driven,” attentive to detail, and a good judge of character, Mulcahy said.
Appearing at the Hall of Fame ceremony was “closing the loop on the legacy” of his grandfather, Mulcahy said. “I’m as honored as I could possibly be.”
He feels that his grandfather’s traits—determination, meticulousness, integrity, having an eye for talent—have shown up in his own activism and efforts to give back as a member of boards and committees of the Screen Actors Guild. “Some of that courses through my veins,” he said.
Fordham Olympians Past and Present
The Hall of Fame ceremony also highlighted current achievements by Fordham rowers, from both the women’s varsity team and the men’s club team.
The inductees included 2016 alumna Fiona Murtagh, a gold medalist last year at the World Rowing Championships and bronze medal winner for Ireland at the 2020 Olympics, held in 2021 due to the pandemic. Also inducted was Mike Snell ’03, who won medals at major national events during each of his four years on the men’s team.
Gerry Quinlan, head coach of women’s rowing, noted how the past and present of Fordham rowing were coming together at the event with the honors for Mulcahy and for Murtagh, the present-day Olympian.
“Our team follows her career,” he said, so “having her honored is really exciting for our team too.”
